New Leaves
by Wesfanemt333
Summary: When Jason leaves Aaron, Dave steps in to help. This is definitely an AU where the rest of the crew are kids. Aaron/Dave eventually. Did I mention it's an AU?
1. Chapter 1

This is a bit of a change for me, so I hope people enjoy it. In this AU story, Jason Gideon and Aaron Hotchner were married and adopted children: Derek(10), Emily(8), JJ(6), Penelope (4) and Spencer (almost 2). As usual, I don't own CM or anyone else that is recognized.

David Rossi was sure of one thing; he was going to wring Jason Gideon's neck next time they met. The retired profiler could not believe his former colleague had actually done it. Rossi had been at Quantico, giving a lecture when he heard the news. Five kids! Gideon not only left Aaron, he left his spouse with five kids, all ten and under. The man had to be tearing his hair out; Dave knew he would be, in that situation. He glanced at the oven, about another half hour or so until it was done.

As Aaron crossed the room to answer the ringing phone, Penelope had one leg in a death grip. All of the normal household routines had been thrown out the window. As a result, his two youngest were very clingy. Penelope, at four didn't understand yet that Jason had left; she only knew something was wrong. Spencer, two weeks away from his second birthday, was confused and overly cranky. Aaron himself hadn't slept very well. And it was going on five in the afternoon, with nothing planned for dinner. Aaron reached the phone, just in time to hear the doorbell to go off.

After the fifth babysitter he'd left a message with turned him down flat, Aaron headed for the door. Spencer was trailing him closely, with his thumb securely in his mouth, and Penelope still holding on to his leg for dear life. He managed to not trip over toys in the hall, as he made his way to answer the door. He opened the door, silently hoping for the impossible. He didn't know who would be visiting on Saturday afternoon, but seeing David Rossi at the door was definitely not an expected visitor. David Rossi, standing on the porch, holding a hot pan of some sort was even less expected.

"Agent Rossi?" It was the only thing Aaron could think to say. He could feel Spencer, peering around his leg to peek at their visitor. Dave shook his head, shifting the pan in his hands,

"Just Dave now, I'm retired now. Mind if I come in, I don't want this to get cold?" Aaron backed up slowly, letting Dave into the house. They made their way to the kitchen, managing to not fall or drop the food. Awkward small talk followed, which eventually led to Aaron inviting Dave to stay for dinner. Dave unveiled fresh lasagna, made from scratch. Aaron tried (and succeeded) in not drooling. Aaron could function adequately enough in the kitchen, but things like this were out of his league.

In short order, plates and silverware were passed out, and everyone was seated. The phone rang, but this time, Aaron let it go to the answering machine. He sighed quietly as his last hope for going to work on Monday declined. He didn't want to worry Derek, who already acted far older than a normal ten year old. And if Derek worried, Emily and JJ would be upset as well, then it would spread to the two youngest. The kids were too busy eating to pay attention at the moment, for which Hotch was grateful. Or in Spencer's case, smearing food all over his face.

Dave smiled; it was a nice change, not only sharing meal with a family, but watching people enjoy the food he'd made. He didn't remember the last time he'd cooked and eaten with someone. Probably with his latest ex-wife. Usually it was just him, alone at home. For himself, he didn't make this much of an effort; it didn't seem to be worth it.

The two adults chatted, Rossi about the difficulties with his current book. House being too quiet, keep getting stuck and repeating unnecessary details. Hotchner about some of his pressing cases, unreliable witnesses, juries being difficult, and other irritating things. At least, the parts of the job that were acceptable to talk about with little ears listening.

After a relaxing meal, where no one mentioned the "J" word, the two adults ended up sitting in the living room having coffee, while the kids watched a movie. Somehow, while Dave was helping Aaron get the kids bathed and ready, he'd ended up volunteering to move in as a temporary babysitter. And more surprising, Aaron had accepted his offer. At least, the Hotchner house had an empty bedroom, so Dave wasn't going to end up camping out on a sofa.

Neither Dave, nor Aaron were looking for another romance. Rossi had three ex-wives, and Hotch's spouse had just walked away from their family. And he'd also been married to Haley, his high school sweetheart. Neither man wanted a relationship. Dave had been the rebound guy before, and had no desire to go there again. But people underestimate or ignore Fate, but she has her own way to bringing things together.

"I truly, truly believe that I was going in that direction and all of a sudden fate took me and put me here. It's like something else has other plans for me."

Christopher Atkins


	2. Chapter 2

Aaron Hotchner knew there was something wrong at home two seconds after he set foot inside. The house was far too quiet for a Sunday night. He'd been gone for three days, after Sean's accident. Dave had reassured him things would be fine. He'd been watching the kids for over three months, and Dave felt he had a handle on their routines. Aaron definitely hoped he'd been right.

Aaron looked at his phone, yup, still dead. He'd forgotten his charger, in his hurry to catch his flight. It had been near a full charge when he'd rushed from the house. But it had died quietly, since it'd been on vibrate in the hospital.

He walked in, noticing a lot of pots and pans in the sink. Another unusual sign, Dave was very quick to clean up after meals. And something smelled off. It wasn't a bad odor, just not quite right. Like too much laundry soap with a somewhat bitter aroma mixed in. On a normal day when he'd step through the door, he'd be mobbed by the kids, happy cries of "Daddy!"

Not tonight, apparently. As Aaron made his way through the house, he noticed other little odd things. The linoleum felt sticky, like the floors at the movie theater. He glanced at the little laundry room to his right. The room was a wreck, and he saw water on the floor. He started hearing quiet sounds from the family room, so he made his way there. The noise got a louder as he got closer. And when he peeked in the room, he had to stop and stare for a moment.

All of the kids, plus Dave were sound asleep on the couch. The television was on, and he recognized the movie playing, Pete's Dragon. All the kids loved that one, so he'd picked it up on vhs ages ago. Spencer was curled up on Dave's chest, with Penelope and JJ one on each knee. Emily and Derek asleep on either side of Dave. Really, his cell phone just had to be dead right now. This would make a great picture.

Instead of snapping a picture for later, Hotch plugged his phone into the charger. He picked up Spencer, trying not to wake anyone. Spencer felt warmer than normal, which might explain why he was asleep so early. But it wasn't just Spence, everyone was sleeping at six. That was definitely unusual to say the least. Most nights, Emily and Derek stayed up until eight.

As Aaron held his youngest to him, he saw Dave's eyes flutter open. Dave blinked several times, looking tired and disoriented. After a few seconds, Dave seemed to realize Aaron was home. Home and holding Spencer. Quietly clearing his throat, Dave said one word that explained almost everything at once.

"Flu." Having five kids, Hotch knew exactly what happened when a flu bug hit. It started with one. Then, like dominos, one by one, all the kids were sick, cranky and miserable. Never mind how he'd felt. Being the only well parent in the house while Jason was usually off on a case was exhausting. And for Dave, who still wasn't one hundred percent used to the kids when they were well, the past few days could not have been fun. The two men started getting the sleeping children into their beds, before heading towards the kitchen. Aaron put on the kettle for tea; coffee at this hour for him was a terrible idea. Dave sat wearily in one of the chairs, looking completely wiped out. Then Dave began the tale of the last three days. The longest three days in his life.

It had started the day after Hotch left. JJ came downstairs complaining that her tummy hurt. Dave hadn't known at the time, having very little experience with kids, but it was just the beginning. He'd taken JJ's temperature and kept her home from school that day.

Thankfully, Emily and Derek were able to walk the short distance to the neighborhood school by themselves. There were some real advantages to having a school in a quiet residential area. Of course, Dave watched them walk toward the school, having reminded them about talking to strangers and other basic safety rules. All of which Aaron had already taught them. And being a former profiler, Dave had already picked up on how protective Derek was of his younger siblings.

Meanwhile back at the house, JJ was running a fever and not wanting to eat. Dave searched through the house, finding the pediatrician's number. Aaron was meticulously organized about everything. He'd lucked out somehow, getting an appointment while Penelope was in preschool. Or so he'd thought.

The call had come while Dave, JJ and Spencer were in the doctor's office. The school, of course. Emily had thrown up and could he come and get her? That was Dave's first inkling that he might be in a little bit of trouble. Still, two sick kids, how bad could it be? They left the doctor's heading for the school to pick up Emily. Dave had the secretary pass a message along to Derek's teacher, letting the oldest Hotchner know he would be walking home alone.

One very quick trip to the store later, it was easier with only three kids, and Dave could get a few essentials for his two sick charges. Chicken stock and some fresh veggies and a little chicken. And a few bottles of seven-up, which a mom recommended to him. And then he was able to pick up Penelope, who seemed to be feeling fine, right until she threw up in the van and started bawling. Really loudly. And then there were three. Dave rolled down his window, thankful they lived in a small town. They were close to home, and the weather was warm. They'd be home soon and everything would be fine. As long as no one called child services on him, people would think he was murdering Penelope. And the noise woke Spencer, who began voicing his displeasure with his nap being even more disturbed than then it already had been.

Ten of the longest minutes Dave had ever spent in a vehicle later, they finally arrived back home. The Hotchner residence had never looked so good to him. And it probably looked pretty terrific to the three sick kids and one cranky toddler. He herded the kids inside, carrying Spencer on one hip and Penelope on the other. His shirt was going to go straight in the laundry. Thankfully, most of the vomit was on the floor of the van. He managed to close the door with his foot, without losing his balance. Have a kid on each him definitely effected his balance. Then, he started getting all the kids settled. JJ and Emily were set up on the couch; Spencer was going to his crib. Penelope was getting cleaned up and settled in her toddler bed. For about half an hour, he scurried from one room to the next. Giving medicine, sippy cups for the younger two, no milk, just some lemon-lime soda.

For a short time, there was quiet in the Hotchner household. Dave took a few minutes to sit and relax for a few minutes. The phone rang, and woke up Penelope. She started to wail, so he ignored the ringing for a moment and scooped her up. Then he picked up the phone, ready to snarl at whoever had woken up his young charge.

"Hotchner household, Dave Rossi speaking." His tone was curt, and his mood did not improve when he recognized the voice of his publisher speaking. He did not have the patience for a conversation right now.

"Let me make this clear, Johnson. I don't care about this deadline. I have three sick kids, and two who will probably be catching this damn bug. Right now, they are my priority. Not this book or the next one." Then without giving the man a chance to reply, he hung up the phone. He turned around to see JJ, looking at him curiously. "Hey pumpkin, let's get you tucked back in. I'll put on a movie for you and Emily." JJ gave him a small smile,

"Uncle Dave, what's a 'riority?" Dave smiled at the little blond, kneeling down to be at her level. That was a trick he'd learned from Aaron.

"Well, we all have things to do, some of them are more important than others. Me taking care of you and your brothers and sisters, is more important than me writing my book. My book will get written eventually. But you guys need me more right now." JJ nodded seriously, as he gave her his free hand. Dave was getting good at doing things one-handed, Penelope and Spencer had given him a lot of practice. He led JJ back to the couch, where Emily was sound asleep.

The next few hours were a blur, as he made chicken noodle soup, from scratch, between cleaning up vomit, dispensing more aspirin, and checking temperatures. He never used the canned stuff; his mother had taught him the art of cooking really well. Soon, the house was a mix of different scents, some good, other not so much. He started up a load of laundry; they were going to need more clean blankets.

Derek walked in the door, looking a bit tired. Dave really hoped the oldest wasn't coming down with what everyone else had. But he knew it was likely, since Derek and Spencer were the only two kids who weren't sick yet. And Spence had felt a bit warm when he'd been put in his crib.

"Hi, Derek. How was school today?" Derek shrugged, setting down his backpack.

"It was okay, I'm kinda tired, though." Dave nodded,

"It's been a long day here too. Do you need any help with your homework?" Derek shook his head. "All right. I'm working on dinner, we're having soup tonight."

To Be Continued. I hope my readers enjoy it.


	3. Chapter 3

Aaron nodded; while he listened to Dave recount the events that had occurred while he was out of town. Dave had managed to get the soup on for dinner, which the four sick kids picked at. Not surprising, having a stomach bug was not good for the appetite. At least they ate some of it. Derek and Spencer seemed to enjoy it. Spencer even had a second bowl, asking for 'more pease', using both his signs and words. Dave was more than happy to let him have seconds.

After dinner, Dave had held off on cleaning long enough to put in a movie for the girls. He picked one Aaron had told him everyone liked. Getting everyone settled in the living room wasn't the easiest thing, but he managed. He even remembered bowls, in case someone got sick too quick to make it to the bathroom. The movie had just started when JJ called out for him. The movie wasn't playing. It looked like it had just plain worn out. Dave picked out a TV show, making a mental note to replace the tape, and soon. He headed back into the kitchen, to get it clean. He'd nearly finished clearing the table, when Derek came in, looking troubled.

"Is something wrong, Derek?" Dave had a bad feeling about this, which was confirmed very quickly.

"Um, I think I broke the washing machine. I didn't mean to! I just was gonna do some more of the stuff that got puked on. But it started making weird noises. And there's water all over the floor." Dave winced. This was going to make the night even more fun. Adding to the fun, Dave heard the unmistakable sound of one of the kids losing their dinner. He patted Derek on the shoulder gently, wanting him to know Dave wasn't mad at him, before checking on whoever had thrown up.

It had been Emily; thankfully she'd managed to get it in the bowl, mostly. Dave gently wiped her face, and led her into the bathroom. Then he cleaned the floor and bowl, to get it ready for another go round. After getting Emily settled again, he was heading for the laundry room, when the doorbell rang. He closed his eyes, exasperated from the long day, where everything was going to hades in a hand basket. He opened the door, thoroughly annoyed with the latest interruption. And it got even better. An agent, standing there holding a thick file.

"Are you serious?" Dave asked. "I do not have time for a consult right now." He started to close the door, when the agent stuck his foot in. "Are you kidding me? I have my hands full with three sick kids, and two others who will probably catch the same flu bug." The agent, Johanson, was braver than he was smart.

"But Mr. Rossi, we really need your insight on this one. This unsub is going to strike again, and soon." Rossi frowned, not liking this situation. He told the young man,

"Stay right there, I'll be back in a minute." Dave closed the door, leaving the man outside. He went to the kitchen, and quickly wrote out two lists. He opened the door again, taking the file and handing the agent the lists.

"I'll work on this tonight, and email you what I can. You run out to these stores and pick up what's on the lists. I have five kids to keep entertained somehow." The agent nodded, and David Rossi handed him a card. "Don't lose that, whatever you do." He watched the man retreat to his car, and closed the door. Now, he'd hopefully be able to fix that washing machine. Or get it replaced, and soon. He wondered how much it would cost to have his sent over and hooked up. But that might not be necessary. He'd have to wait and see.

He walked into the laundry room, and looked at the dratted machine. It had been fine earlier, but now, the floor was soaked, and water was everywhere. Derek looked upset, obviously feeling bad about messing up the washer. And now both of them had wet feet.

"Derek, it was an accident. I'll see if I can fix it, if you can help me by keeping an eye on the younger ones, okay?" The oldest of the Hotchner clan nodded, looking a little pleased at being treated like a helper.

A frustrating hour later, Dave hit pay dirt. He found the problem, and after some effort and elbow grease, he finally had the machine draining. Maybe he'd be able to get a little bit of laundry done. But now, he should peek in on the kids. He used the sink to wash his hands, and found no towels. Obviously, they'd all been used up cleaning up the various messes from the flu bug and other spills.

Dave made his way back to the living room, to check on his charges. Emily and JJ were nearly asleep, watching some kids show. Penelope was cuddled with Derek, and Spencer was listlessly playing with some blocks on the floor. Dave smiled at Derek, giving him thumbs up for a job obviously well done. Thankfully Aaron should be home tonight, although Dave had had no luck reaching him. He sat down, to start watching the show.

Of course, that's when the doorbell went off. JJ and Emily didn't seem to notice. Dave sighed quietly, thinking of words he would not say in front of the kids, even if they understood Italian. The young agent was back, with everything on the lists, and Rossi's credit card.

After a brief exchange, Dave closed the door quietly and headed to his bedroom. He dropped the files on his desk, reminding himself he was going to go over them after the kids all fell asleep. He put the few grocery items away in the still not finished kitchen. Then he took the rest of the stuff into the living room, where the show was almost over. Dave pulled the first item out of the bag,

"Anyone want to try the movie again?" He held up a brand new copy of Pete's Dragon and unsealed it as he walked to the VCR. All the kids seemed to approve, so he put it in turning the lights down a little. Dave sat down on the couch, as the movie started. Spencer toddled over for a minute, signing,

"Up, Dada." It took Dave a few seconds to realize that Spencer had called him Daddy. He picked up the toddler, and held him to his chest. He was not expecting that one bit. He shouldn't have been too surprised, he supposed, after all, Spencer was only a toddler. A very precocious toddler, but just a little guy. There'd be time to get things straightened out later. Right now, all five kids were quiet, not throwing up and watching the movie.

As the movie progressed, Dave noticed that the four older kids were getting closer to him. It had happened slowly, but surely. Next thing he knew, Penelope was on his right knee, and Derek was right beside him. Then, a few minutes later, JJ was on his left knee, with Emily inching towards his side. It was hard to tell with the lights dimmed, but he thought Spencer was asleep, a warm heavy weight on his chest. All the kids seemed to be struggling to stay awake. Penelope was the next one asleep, one thumb in her mouth. She never sucked it while she was up, just when she slept. Emily started snoring lightly as Derek yawned for the millionth time. JJ was only a few minutes behind her sister. Derek stayed awake the longest, lasting a half hour after his siblings. Then Dave realized he was trapped on the couch with five sleeping kids. He could feel his eyelids getting heavier, and staying closed longer and longer. He ended up asleep, arms around the two at his side, movie still playing. That was the last thing he noticed, until Aaron came into the room.


End file.
